Bowden Pillars Farm - image courtesy Bowden Pillars

A Set-Back for Bowden Pillars

16th July 2024 Zoe Clough

The dream of an eco village and land for sensitive farming at Bowden Pillars just outside Totnes has had a set back.

The forest part of the scheme, with Devon Wildlife trust, is secure. (see previous Pulse article)

But Ian Hague from Bowden Pillars Future told the Pulse that the community share offer which ran from September to December last year didn’t raise enough money.

“We were hoping to raise half a million pounds so there is a gap in our finances. It is sad but both BPF and the Apricot Centre have had to face up to reality.”

Income from renting the 33 acres would not bring in enough money to fill the gap, and the Apricot Centre needed all the land to make their plans viable.

So there has been an amicable decision to part ways.

Here is the full press release.

The Apricot Centre will be leaving the land at Bowden Pillars Farm at the end of May 2025. This has not been an easy decision, nor is it what either the Apricot Centre or Bowden Pillars Future would have wished for when the project began. However, in the months since the share offer it has become clear that a long-term agricultural tenancy on 33 acres of farmland, which is what was originally envisaged, won’t now meet the wider financial needs of the project as a whole.

Bowden Pillars Future may in future want to allocate some of the farmland to other regenerative farming partners to generate income. However, without guaranteed long-term use of the full 33 acres at Bowden Pillars it isn’t possible for the Apricot Centre to commit the investment needed to put its own farming plans into practice, so with regret we have jointly agreed to a 12-month notice period and are finalising the details of an exit plan.

The Apricot Centre has been a key partner in the Bowden Pillars Future project since shortly after the idea of buying the farm for the benefit of the community was first mooted. Bowden’s Core Group acknowledges the enormous amount of time and enthusiasm that the Apricot Centre, particularly Marina O’Connell and Bob Mehew, gave so freely to the project. We record our deep gratitude for their contributions. Bob has now resigned from the board of BPF Ltd.

The Apricot Centre will continue to look after its 33 acres until spring of next year, by which time the conversion to organic status will have been completed. It plans to keep cattle in some of the barns over the winter to help it to recoup its initial investment in green manures, and aims to leave Bowden Pillars farm without making a financial loss on the venture.

In the meantime, both organisations will be exploring other options and alternatives. The Apricot Centre is seeking suitable agricultural land to farm on a long-term tenancy where it can grow grain for Dartington Mill.

Bowden Pillars Future is looking for other partners who will work with us and the land within our care to create a place where nature, community and farming can grow together.